About meningitis

• Bacterial meningitis
• Viral meningitis
• Symptoms
• After effects of meningitis
• Vaccines
  • Routine Vaccinations
  • Non-routine Vaccinations
  • Future Vaccines
  • ACWY Vaccine for Hajj/Umrah
• Facts and figures
• Frequently asked questions
• Awareness resources
• Quiz
• Symptoms puzzle
• Ask the Expert
• Surveillance
• Science Series
• Useful links

Vaccines

Meningitis and septicaemia can KILL in under 4 hours. The bacteria multiply in the body with alarming speed, overwhelming a person's immune system in hours. Many of the early symptoms are also flu-like, making it extremely difficult to diagnose, and sometimes people show no symptoms at all, which is why developing a vaccine is so vital.

How do vaccines work?

Pathogens are microbes such as viruses or bacteria that cause disease. Vaccines include a small amount of weakened or harmless microbes, which when introduced into the body stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies.

The immune system is then able to remember the microbe so if the body is invaded by the real bacteria, it is able to fight them instantly and stop the disease developing. With some vaccinations, the immune memory can reduce over several years, which is why booster vaccinations are needed. If you are interested in reading more about the science of vaccines please see our Science Series  

Do vaccines against meningitis already exist?

Yes. The good news is that vaccines exist to protect against some forms of meningitis. Significant progress has been made over the last 20 years with the introduction of the Hib vaccine in 1992, the Meningitis C vaccine in 1999 and most recently a vaccine to protect against Pneumoccoccal Meningitis in 2006 into the routine immunisation programme in the UK.

However, there is still no vaccine to protect against all forms of meningitis and associated diseases, including the most common in the UK - Meningococcal Group B (also referred to as Meningitis B).  

Vaccine Information

Information about specific vaccines can be found under the following sections:

• Routine Vaccinations offered in the UK: Meningococcal Group C, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) and Pneumococcal.
• Non-routine Vaccinations available in the UK: Quadrivalent A/C/W135/Y, Bivalent A/C and BCG.
• Future Vaccines: Meningococcal Group B, Pneumococcal, development of existing vaccines and other vaccines such as Group B Streptococcus.
• ACWY Vaccine needed for pilgrims travelling to Hajj/Umrah.